This invention relates generally to rotating collar lock connector assemblies for coaxial cables and more particularly to an improved and inexpensive rotating collar lock connector assembly which can be completely assembled at a single work station, and wherein all of the metal parts can be either stamped and formed or drawn, and the method of manufacturing such a connector.
There are currently available several different types of rotating collar lock connector assemblies for coaxial cables. All of these prior art connectors employ a collar which is mated with another assembly to complete a connection from a coaxial cable or between coaxial cables. The rotating collar can be of the bayonet locking type with slots therein which mate with pins formed on the perimeter of the mating connector portion. In other forms of the connector the rotating collar is threaded and mates with threads on a mating connector portion. All of the known prior art connectors of this type utilize machined parts. In many of these connectors, in addition to the rotating collar, there is also employed one or two sleeves which are secured to each other by such means as soldering or brazing. The use of two sleeves is required for assembly purposes. More specifically, one of the sleeves fits around the dielectric of the coaxial cable with the braid of the cable being secured around the outer part of the sleeve. The second sleeve fits around the second end of the first sleeve and is soldered thereto and further usually has a flange formed on the end thereof against which a spring means is positioned. The collar is designed to also have a flange means thereon which is positioned on the other side of the spring means and retains the spring means between the flange on the second sleeve and the flange on the rotating collar.
The prior art devices are expensive to manufacture for several reasons. Specifically, the soldering operation is of necessity, a separate operation requiring separate handling of the parts to be soldered. The other words, sub-assemblies must be formed before the complete connector can be assembled. Secondly, all of the metal parts, including the two sleeves, the rotating collar and the center contact of the connector which fits around the center conductor of the coaxial cable, are all relatively expensive screw machine parts.